There is no denying that Ross Chastain is one of the most talented drivers on the grid. He certainly has the grit and the drive that can propel him to shine in NASCAR’s top tier—even win the championship.

However, being the center of almost every controversy has proven detrimental for the driver and the Trackhouse Racing Team‘s owners, Justin Marks and Pitbull. However, since the incident with Kyle Larson in Darlington, it seems as if Chastain has had to tone down his over-aggressive style.

But why this sudden change in demeanor? Is it just the warning from Rick Hendrick that has hushed Chastain up, or has something else come into play and stopped Chastain from repeating his antics? NASCAR journalist Pete Pistone has some answers to all the dilemmas.

Is the #1 Chevy draining the team financially?

Kyle Larson’s Darlington wreck proved to be one too many for Rick Hendrick and he had to issue a warning to Ross Chastain for being a wrecking ball, even mentioning that his drivers will retaliate despite it being detrimental to Chevrolet, their common OEM.

But it was not just Chevrolet that had to bear the brunt of the wrecked cars, but also the team owner Justin Marks, who apparently had to compensate the teams for the damage that the cars incurred due to Chastain’s wreckage. The cost of manufacturing a Next Gen car with all its paraphernalia amounts to a whopping $15 million, including maintenance and repair. This financial drainage has perhaps forced the #1 Chevrolet driver to mend his manners. 

In the latest episode of NASCAR on NBC, Nate Ryan asked, “Why would Trackhouse want to mess with what has made Ross so successful. He has been this driver who challenges the establishment and is a rebel of some sort. Jeff Gordon has said in the podcast a few weeks ago, why would you ask somebody hey, we love the way you are doing your job, maybe do it differently.”

To this, the MRN reporter replied, “I am somewhat surprised. Here is the thing, sometimes we forget, this is in Ross Chastain’s DNA. He is in the Cup Series now, we all watched them in Truck Series, we watched them in the Xfinity Series and quite nicely he was in the equipment there that didn’t allow him to run in front of the field. He was always the aggressive guy. So while we go in there and try to usurp your points, that’s kind of questionable.”

He also added, “But in fact on the owner’s side, maybe Justin Marks got tired of fixing damaged race cars. Maybe that as well. We hear about the cost would save us from sides our ownership. How many times can you wreck a good race car, and maybe Justin Marks got tired of it. So I don’t think any wrong or right, one-side-fits-all is the answer. But the bottom line of the recipe is, this is not the Ross Chastain we saw all last year and also at the first part of this year.”

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Justin Marks’s difficult conversation with Ross Chastain is reaping some results

It is a known fact that Justin Marks has been vocal about his support for the watermelon man. But after Mr H issued his ultimatum, Marks revealed that he had some difficult conversations with the driver himself.

Marks proudly divulged that Chastain has shown his efforts in proving his tenacity as a championship-winning driver. He vouched that Chastain would surely come around from his wrecking behavior. Speaking at SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, the TRT founder added, “He’s got a lot of speed, obviously, We’ve just got to clean this stuff up so we can really put together a championship race team.” And it seems the conversation did hold some ground for the driver. 

But a quiet Ross Chastain is surely not a top-5 Chastain, as evident from the drop he has witnessed in points standings. While he was looking a favorite as a title contender, things are surely looking bleak now for the driver.

Read More: HMS Legend Reveals Justin Marks’ Mistake That Made Him Enemy No 1 to Ross Chastain Fans After Rick Hendrick’s Ultimatum